MANAYUNK

Blog post by Manayunk Development Corporation Summer Intern, Ben Chapman

Twenty-two years ago, Tom Konidaris came to Manayunk with the idea of great tasting authentic Greek Cuisine and thus Zesty’s was created. Before opening Zesty’s, Tom had successfully opened thirteen restaurants but he felt that Main Street was missing a Mediterranean vibe and cuisine option. It also happened that Manayunk was one of the most popular suburbs of the time and had a unique feel that was calling Tom’s name. Tom loved the neighborhood and community based feel so much that he has invested 22 years into Main Street. Tom decided on Zesty’s as the name for his restaurant because it perfectly described his food. And that it does! Zesty’s food is full of flavor and seasoning.

Although Zesty’s has been a staple at 4382 Main Street for the past 22 years, Tom has spent the last eight months overseeing an extensive overview of the restaurant. The renovation has covered every aspect of the dining experience at the restaurant. Inside of the restaurant, Tom is now utilizing a new color scheme and has changed the decor to represent a more global aspect. He is also working on expanding his extensive Greek-oriented menu. Tom hopes to slowly introduce new dishes from twelve to fifteen other countries, which also fit into the Mediterranean tasting scheme. Some of the countries that Tom thinks he might pull from are Spain and Morocco. By introducing these new dishes, Tom hopes to give customers the “ability to choose more than one ethnic item”. Even though there will be new items added to the menu, there will still be the classic dishes that are best sellers. One of these best sellers that Tom personally recommended is the Arni Kapama, which is an oven cooked young lamb with herbs and a tomato sauce finished off with some orzo. One of Tom’s favorites is the baby octopus, which is prepared in an apple wood fire grill and it is cooked with olive oil, fennel, lemon, and oregano.

Besides offering great food to their customers, the team at Zesty’s also offers great promotions every week to their customers. The first promotion they offer is  the Rewards for Reviews Program, which offers customers $5 in Zesty’s credit for one review they write on Google+, Yelp,  Zomato, and Facebook for a total of $20. They are also currently offering a free bottle of wine for customers on a "couple's night out”, as long as they have the coupon from their Facebook page. Lastly, Zesty’s offers a great lineup of Happy Hour specials everyday from 5-7 PM.  During these two hours you can get  1/2 off appetizers (excluding Baby Octopus), as well as $4 house wine, domestic beers and sangria! There’s also a $5 weekly rotating cocktail. Stop by this Main Street Gem at 4382 Main St Tuesday - Thursday 4PM-10PM, Friday -Saturday 4PM-11 PM , and Sunday 11 AM-10PM